How Many Homeowners Are There in the United States?

The United States has 86,985,872 homeowners as of 2012. This number represents 65.5 percent of the American housing market. The rate of owner-occupied residences has remained steady since the 1960s.

Approximately 81 percent of married couples own their homes, while for single individuals that figure falls to between 47 and 58 percent. The rate of home ownership has traditionally increased with age, with more than 81 percent of people aged 65 or older owning a home versus 37 percent for people under age 35. On average, owner occupancy is highest in the Midwest and lowest in the West. Approximately 75 percent of Michigan and West Virginia residents own their homes, while that is true of only 55 percent of Californians.

More than 30 countries possess higher home ownership rates than the United States, including Romania at 97 percent, Lithuania at 92 percent, Singapore and Hungary at 91 percent, China and Slovakia at 90 percent, India at 87 percent, Mexico and Italy at 80 percent and Canada at 69 percent. South Korea, Germany and Switzerland have some of the world's lowest home ownership rates at 54, 53 and 44 percent respectively.

The U.S. Census Bureau defines home ownership as the number of units occupied by their owners, not as the number of units owned without a mortgage or other debt load.